


The Other Side of the Family Coin

by Telaryn



Category: Leverage
Genre: Emotional Baggage, F/M, Families of Choice, Family, Family Feels, Light Angst, Meet the Family, Thanksgiving
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-26
Updated: 2016-01-26
Packaged: 2018-05-16 11:52:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,491
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5827585
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Telaryn/pseuds/Telaryn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hardison takes Parker home to spend Thanksgiving with Nana and his foster brothers and sisters.  She tries as hard as she can to be a normal girlfriend, until Nana shows her that she's fine just the way she is.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Other Side of the Family Coin

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Crisdin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Crisdin/gifts).



> For Crisdin - I'm so happy you persevered against all the technological obstacles to play with us this year! Enjoy your mod gift, and I hope we will see you next year!

She lasted until Thanksgiving morning. Up until that point it had largely been just her and Hardison and Nana. The kids all seemed to be off doing their own thing, and Hardison was carrying the brunt of the conversations so that she didn’t have to bear the old woman’s scrutiny for more than a few minutes at a stretch.

Parker had already decided that she liked Nana. She was firm in her speech and her opinions about the world, but it was obvious that she loved Hardison deeply and anyone who did that was always going to be all right in Parker’s book. “I don’t even care if she doesn’t like me,” she had said to Hardison the second night of their visit. “She loves you – that’s what’s important. That’s what makes her good.”

Hardison hadn’t followed her line of reasoning at all, reassuring her that Nana liked her just fine, but it was all okay as far as Parker was concerned.

And then she came downstairs Thanksgiving morning to six children of varying ages all vying for Hardison’s attention and arguing about how they were going to spend the hours leading up to dinner – playing football or watching the Macy’s Parade seemed to be the two most popular choices, with each side insisting that Hardison come with them.

Parker watched the interplay as long as she could, before fleeing to the quiet of the back yard. A large welcoming oak tree, like she’d only seen in picture books, shaded almost all of the fenced in space.

This wasn’t the house Hardison had grown up in. Parker knew one of the first things the hacker had done after their big score off Dubenich was buy Nana and her children a bigger house in a safer neighborhood. Anything and everything he could think of had gone into the place; Nana had argued with him over the cost, until he pointed out that it was for her kids as much as herself.

Parker was nine when she was sent to foster house number five. Jacob had just died, and foster mom and dad number four had decided that having Parker around was “too painful” and a constant reminder of their loss.

 _Their_ loss. _Like he was their real son._

Spurred by a need to hide from her own memories as much as the chaos she could still faintly hear going on in the house, Parker swung herself up into the tree and settled into a spot that would hold her safe.

After her brother had died, somebody along the way had decided that they should make a stab at getting Parker some counselling. The problem was, she’d already learned to mistrust psychologists of all stripes. Biting the one brave enough to sit down with her and ask how she felt about Jacob dying had convinced those in charge that losing her only blood relative in the world was the least of her problems.

There’d been no dad at foster house number five, just a mom “Rachel”, and three other kids ranging from four to sixteen. Figuring out the pecking order and where she fit in it took Parker no time at all. The four year old was Rachel’s ‘baby’. The seven year old was already taking care of himself – making his own meals and doing a lot of the chores. The sixteen year old…

The sixteen year old was clearly Rachel’s favorite. Chad got presents and privileges the other kids could only dream of. He also got a lot of Rachel’s personal attention – the two of them spent most evenings behind the closed door of Rachel’s bedroom, watching television or doing what the seven year old called “wrestling”.

Parker? Parker was a check every month. Beyond that, Rachel didn’t care where she went or what she did.

“Parker?”

 _When had she started crying?_ Startled out of her memories, Parker hastily swiped at the tears on her cheeks.

“Are you okay, child?”

Caroline Bushnell – Hardison’s “Nana” stood at the base of the old tree Parker had chosen as her hiding place, looking up at her. Straightening up as best she could, Parker nodded. “Yes ma’am,” she said, having figured out from watching Hardison that was how you spoke to somebody like Nana.

The old woman was silent for a long enough moment that Parker began to feel uncomfortable. Finally she said, “The parade’s getting ready to start. You sure you don’t want to come in and watch the balloons with Alec and the other children?”

Parker knew she should say yes, should get down from the tree and come into the house. Pretend to be normal - _pretend I belong._ She was able to open her mouth, but no sound came out no matter how hard she wished for it to.

Eventually she closed her mouth and just looked at the old woman. Nana studied her for another long moment, then turned and walked back towards the house. Equal parts confused and fascinated, Parker shifted again until she could see if Nana really was going to leave it at that.

Instead of disappearing into the house again, Nana grabbed a chair sitting near the back door, knocked snow off the seat, and half carried, half dragged it back to where she’d stood moments before. “Cold gets in my bones,” she said, making herself comfortable before looking up at Parker again. “Makes it hard to stand for too long.”

“You should go back inside then,” Parker said. “I don’t want you to hurt yourself.”

Nana grinned up at her, waving Parker’s concerns aside. “Don’t you worry about me, little girl. A few aches and pains are just the price of doing business. Besides – out here I don’t have to deal with a turkey or a passel of children wanting to know when they’ll be able to cut into the poor thing.”

Parker considered what she was saying, and decided that it made sense. “Did Alec ask you to check on me?”

“No,” Nana said, her tone mild – giving away nothing. “He did say you were a girl who liked your space sometimes, but I figure an old woman like me – I don’t take up too much of that from anybody.”

Silence fell between them. Parker waited as long as she could for Nana to speak, to ask a question, pass judgment on how Parker was ‘strange’, how she shouldn’t have run because there was nothing to be afraid of, not really…

“Why do you do it?” The sound of her own voice startled Parker as much as the question she hadn’t intended to ask. Eyes wide, she clapped a hand over her mouth before saying, “I’m sorry.”

Nana shook her head. “Nothing to be sorry about, young lady. From where I sit you’ve got every right to know about me.” She smiled gently, clearly remembering something. “My husband and I wanted a large family, but God never blessed us with children of our own. After Jared died, I decided that I could either follow him into the mists or figure out a use for all the love I still had to give in the world.”

It was like a story or a television show to Parker’s ears. It was the way people who had never experienced the foster system for themselves thought things worked.

Intrigued, she shifted a little closer to the edge. “Was Alec your first foster kid?’

That made Nana laugh. “Oh no, honey. I’d been taking in boys and girls for about ten years when Alec came into my life. He certainly made things interesting though. Never had one as smart as him, before or since.” She paused, her expression going shrewd for a moment. “I understand you’re no slouch in the smarts department. Alec tells me you’re a genius.”

Parker felt her cheeks get warm, and shook her head. “I never really went to school. Me and Alec, we know somebody who’s a genius, and he’s had a lot of school.”

Another moment of silence, then Nana asked – her tone mild, “Does Alec treat you right, Parker?”

The question startled her. “What? Yes – yes, he’s wonderful. He’s smart and funny, and when he looks at me…” Her voice trailed off.

“He looks at you like you’re the most beautiful, most perfect thing in his world,” Nana finished for her, nodding. “I’ve seen that already. I’ve always wanted that for him, Parker, and I’m grateful to you for being somebody he can love.”

Parker barely noticed that she was crying again. Below her, Nana got to her feet, pushing the chair out of the way. “I need to go check on my bird honey, but I just wanted you to know that you have a home here too now. I’m sorry I didn’t have you in my life when you were younger – I’d have shown you myself how special you are.” She shrugged. “Guess I’ll have to leave that part up to Alec.”


End file.
